Better Late
by Once Upon a Whim
Summary: …than interrupt a kiss. In which Jiya has better timing. [Quick premiere fix-it scene, Lucy/Wyatt]


**In my hurry to do a post-ep fic, I neglected the possibility of just fixing the episode itself. Here's an attempt at that. Thanks to all who read and reviewed/commented on 'Tomorrow' (or any of my other stuff)! Only 5 days to the next episode :D**

* * *

Tears sting his own eyes as she sobs against him. He's so heartbroken for Lucy, and so angry that anyone, never mind her own _mother_ , could have done this to her; she's the last person who would ever deserve anything like this. And he's wishing that he could offer her something more than just a hug as she clings to him, devastated, but the visceral ache in his chest is such that he doesn't even immediately register when her hand starts to drift. It's only when she lifts her head from his shoulder, her shaky thumb still running over his cheek, and he can practically feel her watery gaze on his lips that it clicks. And for the briefest of seconds, Wyatt does admit to himself that it's only going to complicate things, that he shouldn't let it happen because the last thing Lucy needs right now is to be dealing with is any sort of romantic entanglement.

But, dammit, he's just spent the last six weeks terrified that he was never going to see her again. And she's just spent those same six weeks thinking she was completely alone in the world, to the point of resigning herself to a suicide mission.

So maybe the best thing they can do really is just throw caution to the wind and lose themselves in each other right now.

Wyatt's not sure if he moves, or if Lucy does, or if the buzz of attraction, that magnetism, that's always been there between them is what finally closes that last inch, but suddenly her lips are on his and he will _never_ regret giving into this right now.

Her tongue sweeps over his and a million little sparks race through his veins. He pulls her closer, breathing her in as he pours every desperate, tortured emotion of the past six weeks into the kiss. It's bittersweet, knowing just how close he'd coming to losing her, losing the possibility of _this_.

Lucy's the one to tilt her head down ever so slightly, breaking the kiss, both of them breathing heavy as they rest their foreheads on each other.

It's like a punch to the gut when he hears a tearful hiccup from her, followed by the feel of her head shaking against his as she pulls away.

"I'm sorry," she sniffles, her voice low and hollow, "I-"

Wyatt shakes his head right back, slipping his hands up to frame her tear-streaked face. "I'm not," he counters, his words thick with the weight of his own unshed tears.

Her eyes are shiny and searching as she gazes up at him. "Last time…" she hedges, "you weren't sure-"

"Six weeks ago," Wyatt clarifies, his eyes falling shut as he curses, not for the first time, his hesitance that terrible day back at Mason Industries. With a deep breath, he fixes his gaze intently back on her. "Six weeks I've been kicking myself for not doing that when I had the chance," he admits. "At least you would have known-" He can't even get the rest out, the words choking him at the thought of Lucy, alone and under her mother's thumb for so long, thinking that he was still unsure about his feelings for her.

"Known what?" she whispers tentatively, sounding so much like she did that day, when he was too much of a coward to admit what he was feeling for her, even to himself.

"How I feel about you," he states plainly, letting his hand drift to stroke her hair. "That you still had me even when you were with... them."

He may have succeeded in keeping his own crying at bay, but Lucy, not so much.

Tears spill down her cheeks. "I thought you were dead," she breathes shakily, barely squeaking out the words. "I think that would have been worse."

"But I'm not," Wyatt insists. "And neither are you. Okay?"

She gives him a weepy nod, and he can see she's barely holding back more sobs, and all he can think to do to prevent that is kiss her again.

So he does. And it's just as amazing as the first.

Jesus, this is going to be a problem; she's addictive and he's already hopeless for her.

But she's still just a few hours removed from having her world turned upside down – again – and he almost lost her, and suddenly he just needs to feel her against him, feel that she's real and here and in his arms.

Wyatt breaks the kiss and pulls Lucy tight against him, cradling the back of her head and sighing a shuddery breath into her hair.

He'd have been content to just stay exactly like that, holding her in their quiet, safe little bubble, but it's Lucy who breaks the silence, mumbling against his neck, "I missed you."

If his heart wasn't breaking for her all over again at the sound of her shaky admission, it would almost be funny that his first instinct is to tell her that he missed her too, so much so that she couldn't possibly understand. But somehow, just maybe, by the grace of… the force, or whatever, they're finally on the same page at the same time and she knows exactly how much he'd missed her.

And now they have each other.

He tells her as much, pressing a kiss to her head and choking out, "You have me now."

The next thing he knows, Jiya's bursting into the room behind him with a hurried, "Hey, guys-"

Lucy stiffens in his embrace and pulls away just a bit. Rattled by the intrusion, Wyatt turns away from Lucy just enough to see Jiya, but can't bring himself to let go, and keeps rubbing her back.

At least Jiya seems to realize she's walked in on… something… and stammers, "Uh- Sorry. Sorry to interrupt." Except she doesn't go away, instead informing them hesitantly, "Um, you're gonna want to see this."

She leaves hastily after that, and Wyatt turns back to Lucy, seeking out her gaze. "You okay?"

"No," she admits with raw honesty. "But better," she adds, offering up a shy smile before standing up and nodding in the direction Jiya had gone.

That one little smile set Wyatt's heart into a little flip-flop. If nothing else, he'd succeeded in getting that out of her. And, he hoped, in getting them a little closer to being a _them_.

"Hey," he says before she can get too far. "We will…" he trails off until she turns to face him again. "…figure this all out."

Even amidst all the turmoil of the current situation, she's still _Lucy_ , so she rolls her eyes skeptically at him.

Wyatt cracks his first smile in a while too, but still insists, "We will." Pulling himself to his feet, he's feeling emboldened enough to tug her to him by the waist, leaving his hand there, his thumb rubbing slow circles. "And when we're out of this shithole and have Amy back," he promises, "we are doing the real dating thing. Flowers, dinners, movies, I don't know – history lectures? Museums?" he teases, earning him another grin that sets off a few butterflies in his stomach. He sobers a little after that, because he's well aware of the gravity of those butterflies. "This isn't just because we're stuck here or because you were gone," he vows to her, lifting his other hand to cradle her face. "I've been here before, this is…"

Lucy's eyes flutter closed and she leans into his palm, breathing, "I know. For me too."

Well, it's not as if he's not going to kiss her again after that.

This one is softer, sweeter, less about desperate comfort, and more about those possibilities of six weeks ago.

But, he knows, there's still a hell of a lot to tackle before they even have a chance for those flowers and dates and history lectures. Jiya wouldn't have lingered as long in the dorm's door were her news not important.

"Come on," Wyatt mumbles against Lucy's lips, reluctantly pulling away. "They're gonna come looking for us."

Lucy's resigned sigh echoes his own; she knows as well as he does the enormity of what they're up against.

But, Wyatt knows, feeling Lucy slip her hand into his as they head down the hall to the common area, now at least they have each other.

 **~FIN~**


End file.
